Obvious statement: If you want to get good at something, you need to do it a lot.
Take, for example, writing.
I’ve written something almost every day since 2016. Tolstoy, I am not. However, I am a better writer than most despite possessing no special aptitude or innate talent.
Simple consistency and deliberate practice were all it took to get to the point where I can crack out an informative and entertaining email about fitness in ten to fifteen minutes and write numerous books on the subject.
So it is with training.
Not that you’d know it, given the prevailing attitude among many “experts”.
Listen to them, and you’ll come away believing that lifting weights is the only pursuit you can get better at by doing as little of it as possible.
They blame “overtraining”, and while this is indeed an issue in some cases, my bountiful experience tells me most guys – especially novices and intermediates – are *under* trained, if anything.
That’s not to say I advocate punishing, multi-hour workouts.
Far from it.
In fact, I lift just two days per week and am in the best all-around shape of my life as a result.
The key is being efficient.
By that I mean, selecting the most productive exercises and attacking them relentlessly, while excluding the fluff that doesn’t add much (or, often, anything) to bring you closer to your goals.
For context, my leg training consists solely of the barbell back squat.
Therefore, I can devote all my time and energy to what is unarguably the best lift for building muscle and strength in the lower body.
It also means I can do more squats, more often, making me a better squatter generally – which in turn allows me to lift heavier weights safely thereby creating a virtuous cycle that has resulted in me being the proud owner of a pair of horse-like legs.
Is training like this boring?
You bet it is.
But if you truly want to get and keep outstanding results, you gotta let go of the idea that training should be fun and exciting all the time.
While we’re on the subject of you enjoying outstanding results, my diary is once again open for private calls for a limited time.
However, I need to filter those who simply want to pick my large and shapely brain from those who recognise they need help but aren’t sure if I’m the man for the job.
To that end, I charge £150 for an hour.
You’ll get that back if I decide I can’t help you or we agree to work together.
I think this is fair, but only you can decide if that’s the case from your perspective.
If you’d like to talk, reply to this email with your name using the subject line CALL, and I’ll send you an invoice.
Once paid, I’ll send you a link to my calendar wherein you can book a time to suit.
Thank you,
Phil Tyreman